Washington Avenue Arts District in Houston.

Yang Yiming and his teammate Ariza had just come here a few days ago, and the two met at a professional-grade gym in the block, and talked about the self-discipline and pursuit of the players in addition to fitness, which made Yang Yiming feel that he benefited a lot.

Unexpectedly, a few days later, this evening, he returned here, but this trip was not for fitness, he had a completely different purpose.

He asked Meritis to join him for dinner.

The giant Christmas tree in the center of the block has been lit up, and the two of them meet under the tree. The appointed time had not yet arrived at seven o'clock, and Yang Yiming had already waited under the tree in advance.

On Sunday night, the street was crowded with people, Yang Yiming looked left and right, only to see the figure of a blonde woman walking far away from the street, seeing his conspicuous tall figure, jumping up and waving excitedly. Presumably Meritis came.

Yang Yiming's heart beat faster, as if he felt when he first stepped on the official competition court.

1/

"So you've already made an appointment?" The night before, when Yang Yiming confided in his good friend Yu Xiaochun and asked for advice, Yu Xiaochun immediately expressed his support, but he couldn't help but ask for more details.

"I haven't made an appointment yet. I've been hesitant to ask for your opinion. Yang Yiming looked a little embarrassed.

"If you hesitate for a long time, she won't know what you're thinking."

"Nina, why are you back?"

The person who answered was none other than their roommate, Nina, who had gone to give Eric Gordon a second "hypnotherapy" in the evening, and the two had thought it would take her hours to return until dawn.

"Actually, Gordon's physical condition has long been back to his best, but he doesn't feel like he has found his groove on the court, so he has to go again. I just helped him do a simple hypnosis and mental adjustment, so it was over quickly. ”

"How does he feel?" Yu Xiaochun is very concerned about customer satisfaction.

'Eric himself says he feels good and full of confidence. But I don't know, this kind of thing has to be seen on the field. Nina looked unconcerned, "I didn't take any more money from him anyway." He wanted to give me another $10,000, but I refused. ”

"Mmmm, we originally said that we wouldn't charge him this time." For the partners of the two of them in this business, Yang Yiming was particularly polite, "Nina, what do you drink, let's rest first after a busy night." ”

"You're welcome big man, I'm not thirsty, you sit down." Nina shook the backpack she had brought out of the door and sat down on the floor, "Didn't you just say something hesitating?" Just let me hear about it. Who is the girl, isn't it the blonde chef on your team? ”

"This..."

"What's wrong, I said yes?" Nina casually took Koharu's half bottle of Corona and took a big sip of it, smugly at him.

"It's Meritis." Yang Yiming, who was told to break his heart, simply and generously admitted, "I kept asking Xiaochun just now if I wanted to chase her." ”

"Of course." Nina's reply was more affirmative than Yu Xiaochun's before, "The question now is not 'whether to do it', but how can I help you!" ”

2/

At the end of the art district, the restaurant that Yang Yiming and Meritis agreed to is a new style of cuisine opened by a Korean-American chef in the United States, focusing on the innovation of Nordic cuisine, and is a one-Michelin-starred restaurant. Yang Yiming is not picky about food because of his relationship with athletes, but this restaurant was strongly recommended by Nina, and the organic ingredients sound healthier, so he followed the advice.

"Then how do you ask her out?" This is what Yang Yiming is most concerned about.

"Just ask her out: 'Good morning, Meritis, may I ask you to have dinner with you tonight?' It's as simple as that. ”

"Won't she feel abrupt?"

"Absolutely not. It is normal for a single young girl in the United States to receive such a date invitation, and eating together is nothing at all. ”

"Don't have too much inner drama, right?" Yu Xiaochun also encouraged him.

"Okay, so what if she agrees?"

"If you agree, then the question comes!"

Meritis who went to the appointment was obviously dressed up carefully, not only with a little powder, but also with more three-dimensional facial features, under the golden luster like wheat waves, delicate earlobes white and red, and a string of abstract pendants hanging on her slender neck, which was very eye-catching on her exposed chest. She wore a silver silk evening gown, which fit over her delicate figure like a second skin. A short tweed blazer was draped over her shoulders, a black Gucci pouch was in her hand, and stiletto sandals on her feet made Meritis look even taller.

"You're simply shining today."

"Thank you." Nina taught Yang Yiming's lines, and Meritis listened to it very useful, bowing her head while thanking, pinning a bunch of blonde hair back to her ears to hide her shyness.

"Let's go eat first, you must be hungry."

"Okay, you lead the way. I've heard about this restaurant for a long time, but I haven't had a chance to come, you've only been in Houston for a few days, how do you know? ”

"Trevor and I came here that day to work out, and he recommended it to me." Yang Yiming told a little lie, after all, he didn't want to reveal the fact that he had a female accomplice.

Go there in advance, find the location of the restaurant, familiarize yourself with the walking route and the surrounding environment, help push the door, say please, help her take off her coat, pull out the dining chair, and finally take a seat. Yang Yiming also kept these other dating precautions of Nina in mind and did them one by one.

"Would you like to give her a bouquet of flowers when we meet?"

"No, it's too dramatic, many girls will feel embarrassed. When you go to the restaurant with a big bouquet of flowers, everyone will look sideways, which is very embarrassing. Nina's statement made a lot of sense: "However, if you have a good conversation during the meal, you can see if there is a stall selling flowers when you go out, and buy her a rose, which is enough." ”

But how well and how you talk is really up to you. Come on, bang! ”

3/

Yang Yiming and Meritis were seated, and the two of them discussed the menu according to the map, ordered a few dishes that looked delicious, and added a drink, and began to talk.

"Yang, you speak English really well, is there anyone who teaches you specifically?"

"Thank you. We have always had English classes since I was a child, and my father was very strict with me in this area, so I guess my foundation is better than everyone else. Later, I also went to the Philippines with the team to exchange training with Germany, and I also improved a little. By the way, why did you decide to work at Rocket? ”

"I've always loved sports since I was a kid, football, women's baseball, and later basketball. But I didn't grow taller, just... But I've always been a fan of the Houston Rockets and the Comets, but unfortunately the Comets disbanded later, and I didn't want to try it out with the Rockets. ”

"Yes, the Rockets have always had a lot of fans in China, since the Yao Ming era. A lot of the young players I know dream of coming here to play, or at least to see it. ”

"But in the end, only you and Zhou Qi came, which means that you are still the best!"

"Thanks, but I really don't dare to take it, if he hadn't been injured before the game - I would have just been your plan B."

"Opportunities are only reserved for those who are prepared." Meritis said this, and playfully raised an eyebrow at Yang Yiming. I don't know if he is hinting at himself, "a prepared person", Yang Yiming was a little flustered, and quickly took a sip of the drink as a cover-up.

"Have you ever been to China?"

"Never. To be honest, I haven't even been out of the United States, and I'm ashamed, the furthest I have been on a summer trip with my family to Miami Beach, so I envy you players who can fly around all day and come from all over the world. ”

"When I had the opportunity that summer, I invited you to go to China to play."

"Really?"

"Really! You can climb the Great Wall, swim the Yangtze River, and taste authentic Chinese food. ”

"Great, that's a deal. I like Chinese food the most..."

"The Chinese food here is not authentic, it is all modified and suited to your American tastes."

"That's right, the fried rice you made with Koharu last time was delicious, and it was not the same as the fried rice sold in Chinese restaurants in the United States."

"It's a pity that I don't know how to do it, otherwise... Alas, what kind of fried rice, the appetizer is here, you hurry up and taste it. The waiter brought the appetizer to the table, a modified cream soup with mushrooms and okra, and the creamy soup was beaten with liquid nitrogen, and the whole dish seemed to be swirled in a fairy mist.

"Well, it's really delicious, you can try it too!"

"Wow, then you're welcome!"

"You're welcome, after all, you still have to pay the bill." Meritis laughed with Yang Yiming, "So Yiming, what other hobbies do you have besides playing?" ”

"Listen to music, watch movies or something. What about you? ”

"I love music too, I love Bob Dylan, have you heard his songs?"

"Listen, he's like a singing poet. But I usually listen to classical rock a lot, Rolling Stone, Queen, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and whatever. ”

"Wow, that's cool, you're the funniest foreigner I've ever met." Meritis was dazzled.

"You're not bad, I thought you'd all like mildew." The method of opening the topic with Taylor Swift was also taught by Nina to Yang Yiming, and it happened to be used at this time.

"Don't say it, I have to admit that I still like to listen to her songs, although it's too popular and a bit rotten, I'm usually embarrassed to say it's her fan." Meritis covered her mouth in a feigned exaggeration and said in a low voice.

"Actually, I think her latest new album is pretty good, and when the new single 'Look What You Made Me Do' first came out, I listened to that song all day." Yang Yiming pulled the battle line.

"Yes! By the way, the next time she has a concert, you can go with me, I'm embarrassed to be alone, it's too stupid. ”

"Haha, okay, I just happen to have a companion with me."

"That's a deal!"

Well.

At this dinner, the two of them talked happily, and several similar promises were made, but in fact, the future is still far away, and the two young people have no bottom in their hearts about which promise can be fulfilled.

But when he walked out of the restaurant, Yang Yiming saw that there was a cart selling flowers, so he bought a rose, and gave it to Meritis after completing a series of gentlemanly actions such as leaving a tip, putting on a coat, and helping to push the door.

She happily accepted it, smiling like a flower.

The white light bulbs on the Christmas tree in the distance flickered and flickered, illuminating the backs of a tall and a short as they seemed to be shrouded in a halo, and the closer they went, the closer they became.

In this case, who can say that this pair is completely hopeless?